Never Say Never
by MakoRain
Summary: Even the strongest and purest of hearts can be caugh off guard at their weakest point. will they be able to surive this and save themselves? CloudxTifaxReno. Rated M for mature situations.
1. Chapter 1 Where it ended

/N: This story proves that even the strongest and most pure of heart can be caught off guard at their weakest point, falling down hard and fast. How will our beloved couple survive this?

Standard FFVII disclaimers apply. Background music: "Apologize" by OneRepublic and "Unfaithful" by Rihanna

"**Never Say Never"**

By MakoRain

_**Where it ended **_

It was all a mess; her heart, their home, everything. How had this been screwed up so much? The answer rang mockingly in her head: _It's my fault._

It was as if he couldn't move anymore, couldn't even bother to hold himself up as he sat down hard in a wooden chair, the sound resonating through the empty silence that held the weight of the world between them. Cloud wouldn't even look at her, instead choosing to study the scuffed hardwood floor before he struck her with a look so hurt, so hard, so cold with an underlying hint of sadness he tried to play off so well that it broke her heart all over again. He could never hide the churning emotions from her, not Tifa.

It all hung in the balance, their life together, their love, everything.

"We need to talk."


	2. Chapter 2 Where it started

_**Where it started**_

"Knock knock. Is Spikey home?"

Tifa didn't even have to turn around to see who it was. No one else would bother coming in after hours and he was the only one who knew how to get under her skin. _And like he would be looking around for Cloud._ She knew why he was there and she just wanted to scream "Elena's not here!" Jeez, she asked the woman to bounce for her on the weekends so why would she be here on a Thursday night?

"If you're asking if Cloud's here, the answer is no." She answered the annoying red head's playful remark with a glare that had him step back a bit but continued on as if her voice didn't just make his balls jump up into his body.

"Then why the sad face? You know seeing you all ornery like that makes me happy inside." Reno gave her a sly look that showed he meant it and made her shiver and want to take a shower at the same time.

Instead of dwelling on it, Tifa turned away from him and continued on her merry way wiping off the tables, scrubbing at the tops as if she were washing Cloud's stupid face off of the wood. _Why did he have to choose today of all days to take an urgent delivery?_ She still couldn't get his dazed 'I have no idea what you're talking about' look out of her head and it fueled the anger she only let him see a little bit of before he left but not until she caught the hurt in his face that made her feel like she'd kicked a puppy.

"It's our anniversary and the idiot isn't even here!" She yelled at the table, resting her hands on it and holding herself up with her arms, looking down into the now shiny surface. The reflection that joined her was not particularly welcomed but she didn't move either. It was her bar after all. Tifa caught the sight of something in those green eyes of his that made her choke back a sob. She wouldn't have him pity her, not Reno, not _that look_, not ever.

A tear of pain and anger slid wearily down her cheek and she knew she was done for even before it splashed quietly on the clean surface. He watched her in that table's reflection for longer than he'd ever looked at her in the face and in one fluid motion, he took the towel from her hand to wipe off the clean surface now speckled with water drops.

She felt him straighten behind her and pulled her along with him. She was so tired; tired of waiting up for Cloud endless nights; tired of waiting to hear that he loved her and to feel him beside her when she slept; tired of hurting and all for him. Of course it wasn't _all_ his fault, her heart had a part to play in this blame game as well.

Tifa was sad; she was mad and she was so vulnerable it made Reno want to wrap his arms around her and so he did, pulling her flush against him in the action. He felt her tense the second their bodies made contact and didn't relax any until he loosened his hold, giving her some breathing room. He couldn't move too quickly or this wouldn't work.

What he had pined for he finally had in his arms and with no Cloud around he just wanted to jump her but she would definitely kick his ass, sad or not. When she started to wiggle he let go of her, letting her step back out of his arms. She didn't look mad and when she smiled he knew he wasn't in for pain tonight which helped him smile in return.

"Th-thank you, Reno. For...being here." The words felt strange in her mouth and sounded off but she really did mean it, even if she was questioning everything that had just happened in her head. _What _had_ just happened?_

"Hey, no problem doll, just think of me as a teddy bear." There was that devilish charm again and she couldn't help laughing.

"A teddy bear on fire."

He cracked up at that too and in a sudden gentlemanly gesture, he was bending at the waist and lifting her hand to quickly plant a kiss on the top of it. Before either could say how random and awkward that was, he was out the door with a quick "'Night, Teef," and she was left in a haze of cologne, confused more than she was just a few hours ago.

* * *

The sun was starting to peak over the horizon when Cloud pulled Fenrir up as quietly as possible beside Seventh Heaven. Careful to step lightly, he left his gear by the door and walked softly up to Tifa's room where he cracked the door open to peer inside.

There she was, sleeping soundly in bed with her blankets tucked around her all cutely and he smiled, sliding into bed next to her, his arms fitting around her body perfectly. She felt hands trace her waist lightly before trailing up her back and brushing aside her hair. She sighed and Cloud smiled brighter and moved into kiss her neck softly, making her lightly giggle until he pulled away as she blinked sleep out of her eyes.

Tifa stared at the man before her and felt relief with a twinge of guilt that the spiky red head from her dream was replaced by this spikier blond facing her. "Cloud. You're home."

"I tried to get back here sooner. I'm sorry." His smile dimmed down and she looked up at him.

"Sorry for what?"

"Yesterday."

Oh yes, he should be sorry but did he know why? She thought, waiting. She wasn't really mad anymore, she felt that slip away last night before a sense of loss took its place. She had really missed him. Scooting closer, she wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him tightly to her. "It's alright."

"Happy anniversary." He whispered softly in her ear and kissed her cheek, feeling her shiver against him with his chin resting on her shoulder so that his spikes tickled her face.

"You remembered?!" Tifa cried giddily, laughing happily as Cloud pulled away to look deeply into her soft warm eyes.

"How could I forget the day we met?" He said before she moved from being in his lap to tackling him, kissing him all over until he finally trapped her lips with his, forcing her to focus on that one place deeply.

"You know I love you?" The way he said it made it sound like a question which she answered with a passionate kiss. "Of course I do. I love you too, Cloud. I always have."

"I want to show you how much I love you, Teef." He said with a playful grin before she found herself on her back, biting her lip before giving into him over and over again into the late afternoon.

* * *

The floaty feeling of their anniversary lasted for weeks as Cloud took deliveries closer to the city so he was home to have dinner with her. It was much quieter during the days now since Barret had the children living with him which she started to mind less and less as it gave her and Cloud more and more time together.

He would give her a kiss and pop up anywhere "just because" and it made her enjoy the surprises and playfulness he still had in him when she thought he lost it after everything since their childhood. They would go to market together and snuggle up on the couch watching movies and fall asleep to the last embers in the fire place. It was very nice while it lasted but then the rush season had to poke in with its deliveries of presents and precious parcels that had to be delivered as soon as possible or some child would go without a gift from their grandparents for the holidays.

Tifa didn't mind; she really didn't- until Cloud was kissing her goodbye every morning and Reno was by her side almost every night, like a shadow that was sewn on so tight that you couldn't rip it off no matter how hard you tried. Thanks a lot, Peter Pan, you lucky bastard, Tifa thought as she was closing up Saturday night and Cloud was away on a weekend long delivery.

Go away! She wanted to scream at the figure filling her shadow on the bar wall but he hadn't done anything again like that one night and so she had let him be. Whenever his eyes wandered too long or a hand brushed hers, she would walk away.

Besides, there was plenty of space in the bar for them not to have to be right next to each other. She could never place exactly what was going on in that little brain of his but one thing was for certain, he didn't care for her. He couldn't; he only saw her as a nice body to warm his bed and that's something she would _never_ be.

With this thought set firmly in mind, Tifa turned around and faced her red headed cling-on with a gasp. He looked much further away by his shadow on the wall, she thought, as she was met with his green eyes piercing her with something deeper than she had ever seen there before. His lips were in line with her nose and she could sense them coming closer before seeing it and backed up until the wall forced her to stop.

Instead of panicking, she put her hands out to stop his chest from coming any closer. "What are you doing?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't really know." He answered just as softly and she could see her dazed reflection in his hazy eyes before his lips touched hers softly.

"No." She said against them, pushing back harder this time on his chest making his lips go away but he was still right there, invading her space. _When did I get so weak? When did he get so strong?_

"I think..."

"Oh no," she sighed, trying to stop him from saying what she thought he was about to say. "Don't."

"I think I'm-" She placed a finger over his mouth to stop the words but they came out anyways, "falling for you."

"Falling for me? Falling for me! How can that even be _possible_, Reno?" When she was practically screaming in his face, he had the sense to move back and ruffled the back of his head adorably. _No, not adorably, this is _Reno,**Reno**_ is not adorable in any remote sense of the word._

"Hey, it's not my fault you smell so good and look so hot and are so freaking irresistible!" He started yelling in response to her yelling.

"I am _not _irresistible. So just forget about it and go on your way. Get me out of your system by calling on one of your many bimbos to have a good time with." She said snappily, her face turning red.

"I don't want anyone like that. And this isn't just about sex!"

"Isn't it, though?" She was running out of her anger and her throat hurt from yelling so she settled for speaking firmly.

"Do you really think that's all it would take to get you out of my head? A good fuck?" Now he looked really mad and she wasn't sure why. Instead of answering him, she just looked at him as if to say seriously, why were they having this conversation? With an exasperated sigh, he just kept looking at her until she moved to get him to blink.

"Who made you think you're not irresistible? Cloud?"

It really annoyed her when he used his name now since he'd never had the decency to say it correctly before and shook her head.

"Of course not."

"Then why would you say that?" His voice was almost as calm as hers was now and she fidgeted. She hated being judged on her appearance and he kept looking at her like he was seeing her under a microscope...with x-ray vision.

"Because I'm not, okay? And would you stop saying that?" There was a snap back to her voice and he couldn't help the small smile that curved his lips. She really was cute when she was angry.

"Alright I will but that doesn't mean it's not the truth." He stepped closer and she was so busy looking down at the floor she didn't notice how close he was again until his hand was under her chin, forcing her to look up.

_Oh no, not the green eyes again._

"You are beautiful, Tifa."

That's all he said but the way he said it had her heart beating faster. His thumb grazing her bottom lip didn't help any. A final touch of his hand brushing away her hair and she knew she couldn't stop him again. A soft press of lips greeted hers and she practically melted into his arms. What was wrong with her? This was Reno she was kissing! Why was she kissing him back so adamantly as her mouth opened to his tongue parting her lips?

_Cloud never said I was beautiful. _

His lips were away from hers, moving along her neck to her ear lobe. "Tifa, I want you."

_Cloud never said he wanted me. _

His hands were wandering all over her body, finally finding a purpose under her skirt.

"You're so wet for me, baby. I could just take you right here, right now."

_Cloud never called me baby._

She could feel him hard as he braced her against the wall, his hands holding her up as he found his way inside quick and rough.

_Cloud was always gentle. _

She didn't feel anything at first as he pounded her into the wall, until he was deep enough that she gasped and couldn't control her body's reactions from wanting more.

_Cloud is not here right now._

He kept at it until she felt she was going to break in two and finally shuddered. "Oh god, Reno!"

_Cloud's name isn't the one I screamed._

His arms were around her, carrying her up to her room and resting her on the bed before snuggling right next to her.

_Cloud isn't next to me. _

Just before she drifted off to sleep, she could feel him pressed to her and caught his whisper. "That felt wonderful, babe."

_Cloud never said how he felt._

* * *

The sky was lighter outside than she remembered. Tifa blinked blearily and read the digital clock on her night stand. 4:57 in the morning, that could be why.

With a groan, she laid back down cuddled into her pillows in her nice and neat bed until she noticed that the blankets were sprawled all around her. _I don't sleep like that. Cloud sleeps like that_.

In that instant she forgot about what had happened in the bar and longed to only see one face as she whispered his name. "Cloud?"

The thought made her twinge as she inched her hands closer to the pile of blankets, practically jumping when a hand squeezed her ass and Reno's face came into view.

"Oh god oh god oh god oh god." She said as panic started to sink in and she turned away from him.

"What's the matter, babe? Can't sleep?" Even his voice was back to its usual cocky self.

_How did this happen?_ She started pacing and remembered hours before, how he called her beautiful and irresistible and had her screaming his name. _Oh my god!_

As if catching her train of thought, Reno sat up in her bed and let more of the blankets fall away than necessary. "Yeah, baby."

Tifa stared at him in shock before throwing a pillow at him and continuing her pacing trail on the bedroom floor. At least she still had on most of her clothes. _But that doesn't mean this is just a horrible dream and Reno isn't here and we didn't just have sex downstairs. _She tried closing her eyes and rubbing her temples but when she opened her eyes, he was still there, watching her with those emerald eyes like a cat ready to pounce.

"Oh no you don't." She said shaking a finger at him and backing away.

"I just want a kiss, Teef, I promise."

"Get dressed first."

He actually looked shocked. _Why should he be shocked? He didn't just wake up in a horrible nightmare! _

"But I was kinda hoping-"

"No, you just said you only wanted a kiss!"

"Well I was hoping after kissing you until you melt again that we could-"

"I did not melt." She said with as much dignity as she could muster when the memory of his kissing and her kissing him back did in fact prove she had melted. Her lips still tingled with him.

"You know you did." His voice was softer now but he had on his trade mark devil may care grin. That was never a good sign.

"So what if I did? Last night was..." Her mind tried to find the right words without crushing his ego.

"Amazing?"

"Confusing." She finished and all he did was shrug as he finally put his pants on. By the time he was dressed he looked like he usually did, all smiles and crumpled clothes.

"Do you always have sex before you get ready?" She couldn't help but ask, amazed by how regular he looked. _Shouldn't he look different somehow?_ He did just sleep with her for the first time, after all. Correction: the _only_ time.

"Well I'm not a virgin as you now know from experience." He said with a smirk as he slipped his jacket on over the wrinkled mess he was.

Gah, he could just make her so angry sometimes! She hit him in the arm hard enough to bruise and he shook it off, laughing and slipping past her clenched fists for a quick kiss.

"Now will you go?" She said, tight lipped and offended he had gotten past her defenses.

"You didn't melt for me." He said with puppy dog eyes. At her silent glare, he said, "Don't worry, you will later."

"Never again, do you understand me? NEVER. Now go already before-"

"Cloud gets home?"

"Shut up, you can't say his name."

"Why not?"

Curse him and his evil sarcasm. "You just can't."

The whole time they were having this little hissy fit, Tifa threw on one of Cloud's plain white dress shirts he only wore for her for special occasions and steered Reno down the stairs to the door.

She managed a "goodbye, Reno" before closing the door only to be stopped by his boot. "Just go!" She hissed, not wanting to beg him to leave before something worse happened today than this.

"This was fun, Teef. We should do it again sometime." And with that, he was gone and the door was locked behind him.

_I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!_

* * *

The beginning of the day was just the top of her horrible existence. In exchange for the amazing and treacherous sex she had the night before, she was swamped with customers, Elena called in sick for bouncing and she felt so guilty that she couldn't look at Cloud without her face burning in shame. Fortunately, Cloud had his hands full with the drunken Neanderthals that he couldn't focus on her strange attitude or so she hoped.

He did kiss her goodnight before dragging his extremely tired and well shaped ass to bed after helping her with the bar right off of coming back from a delivery. He hadn't had a chance to sleep in over 24 hours and she was selfishly glad for it. Now she could clean the bar in peace without feeling as if his eyes were burning holes into the back of her skull where a headache was festering from earlier.

**Knock knock knock.**

_Speaking of...._

With her fingers crossed, Tifa opened the door to find none other than her bed buddy of last night.

"Surprise!"

"Shhhhh!" she waved her hands frantically, hoping Cloud fell into a dead sleep.

"Oh, is someone here?" Reno stage whispered before tip toeing over the threshold. All she did was roll her eyes over her shoulder before walking back behind the bar where she blindly took a bottle and poured a shot of something to kill her headache.

"Hey slow down there sparky, no need to be drunk on our date." He took the glass away from a shocked Tifa before she could grasp it firmly until it broke like she wanted to.

"Our _what?_"

"After leaving this morning the way I did, it only felt right to come here tonight and take you on a nice and relaxing dinner away from where you work. Think of it as a 'thank you' if you will."

At her raised eyebrows and gaping mouth that stayed that way for far longer than usual, Reno waved a hand in front of her face which she immediately slapped away.

"You are so annoying!" She whispered harshly.

"But my boyish charm is something that makes you love me. You know it." He wiggled his eye brows suggestively and she gave an exasperated sigh as they headed out the door.

"If we have dinner, then will you go and forget that last night ever happened?"

"You can't erase the past, babe."

"And don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"Just don't!"

* * *

"This is not a date."

It had to be like the millionth time she had said the words but she couldn't afford for Reno to get the wrong idea. Last night was a nightmare she wanted to erase. She was with Cloud, not Reno. She was happy with Cloud, _not_ Reno. She _loved_ Cloud, _not_ Reno. It would always be Cloud, Cloud, Cloud. The sooner Reno understood that, the better.

Tifa found herself at a restaurant for an _outing_-**not a date**- she felt would never end. After looking around to see if she knew anyone here, she glanced at her watch to see that they had only been there twenty five minutes and they hadn't even received their order yet. _This is going to be a long night._

Reno seemed to be oblivious to her inner turmoil.

"See, isn't this nice? Getting out of that bar and relaxing by eating a meal made by someone else for a change."

He was so at ease with his hands clasped behind his head and lounging back in his chair so smug that she decided to give into the urge to chuck a bread stick at his head. The resounding plop and then thunk of the wooden legs hitting the floor made her smile.

Instead of whining, he just gave her an innocent look of '_why'd you do that for?'_ which distracted her long enough for him to slip his hand over hers. It felt nice for an instant and took her back to the last time she was here_...Cloud was being daring and took my hand in his across the table and I was so love struck.._.she jumped and pulled away, wanting to be here with someone else other than Reno.

He gave her an odd look across the table as she looked around again; hoping nobody had seen that, hoping that it had never happened, hoping this could be over and she could be done with him.

Nothing ever went as she hoped.

* * *

That was the last time they went out in public together. Inside she could hide whatever she and Reno were doing and more importantly, she could keep lying to herself. She was with Cloud, not Reno.

"Why do you keep coming here?" Reno's thoughtful question startled her, especially at how close it had been to mirroring her own thoughts. Why was she here again, in Reno's bed more often than Cloud's mostly vacant one?

_I don't want to be alone._

"I think he knows." She said instead, her voice sharp with worry. She could see how Cloud eyed her warily whenever she got home a little too late or a little too early and it was tearing her up inside. _This had to stop._

He continued his one sided conversation with himself as if she had never spoken about Cloud, their proverbial elephant in the room at the moment. "My devilsh charm? My handsome good looks? Or maybe my big-."

_Ugh._ "Will you be serious for five seconds, Reno?" God, he was so infuriating. "Cloud _knows_ something is wrong."

"But is it so wrong if we both like doing it so much?" He leered at her and she couldn't help moving away from him, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed as she felt around for her clothes on the floor.

"Did you hear anything that I just said? Cloud knows that I'm lying to him about something…and I can't keep lying to him."

_I need to talk to him._ It's the one thing she couldn't do anymore without lying and she missed being able to just tell Cloud how her day was and what she'd done without feeling used up and dirty. She missed being his Tifa. Now, he always left with that hollow look, a look she knew was just for her and it was killing her inside.

Not knowing of Tifa's inner debate, Reno sat up, the last words catching his attention as he watched her get dressed. "Wait, babe, you wouldn't actually tell him about me though, right? I mean, we have a good thing going but Spikey's got a huge ass sword and..."

Fully clothed, she turned on him. "You're worried about saving your own ass if he did find out? How typical! How did I ever get into this situation with _you_ of all people?!"

"Hey, now, don't get me wrong. We have fun." He paused to scan her entire body from head to toe until she felt like she needed to scrub her skin raw from just his eyes. "And I mean a _lot_ of fun. But I can't risk a great piece of ass for my pretty face."

The only thing that outmatched Tifa's disgust was her anger with a twinge of pain at being treated like such a common _whore_. There was no better word for it and it was her fault for painting herself into a corner in the first place. He had said before that this just wasn't about sex but when it came right down to it, that's all it had been. That's all it had to be for her to save some spec of pride. She loved _Cloud_, not _Reno_!

The least she could do was leave him with a parting gift.

"Not as much fun as this, asshole." And with that, she clocked him in the eye, watching him spin and fall back onto the bed before slamming the door behind her, walking out of his life forever as she should have long before.

* * *

It was a maximum of two days before he came back, skulking. Two whole Reno-free days had Tifa thinking much clearer. He was like the never-ending hangover with the memories not spared by a much needed blackout beforehand.

After groveling didn't work, he tried force which earned him a kick in his very favorite place. She thought of it as doing a service to the entire Planet if that idiot never reproduced. Finally, he gave up. Or so she thought.

Tifa was trying to handle a busy Saturday night on her own behind the bar as Cloud was out late on a delivery and Elena did her best at the door. With a tinge of guilt, she was happy Cloud wasn't around; she hadn't figured out what she was going to do yet. Everything within her screamed to tell him the truth but her pride fought adamantly against that, barely able to picture Reno without shuddering, yet alone telling Cloud that she had cheated with him.

Her mind immediately tried to correct her, spouting some nonsense about how she really didn't cheat; they had never said they were in a mutual exclusive relationship while her sound-self screamed _stop thinking like a man!_ _You love him more than anything and you slept with someone else, you _cheated_ on him. _Her conscience brutally beat her into a somber mood that she couldn't get out of until she talked to Cloud. When, now that was the question.

A loud ruckus at the other end of the bar distracted her from her self-defeating thoughts. One glance made her fume. _I cannot believe this._

Of course it could only be Reno doubled over in what she hoped was physical pain but only turned out to be laughter. The death glare she gave him earned her a smirk that she wanted to punch right off of his smug face. Instead, she just ignored him like the good bar maid she was. That was until she heard her name and ass referred to in the same sentence from that arrogant voice.

As calmly as she could, she walked over to get rid of him before something bad happened. Make that, worse than already had as she twisted the wrist of the hand he stupidly decided to put on her ass.

"Okay, boys, show's over. Isn't it about time you crawled back under the rock you came from, Reno?"

"Kinda hard when you're holding my hand, bay-" A yank of his arm made him flinch and correct what he was about to call her. "Tifa."

She let him go with a stern look. "Just go home, you're not welcome here."

"That's not what you said last time."

Tifa spun to face him with the ever growing rage only he could cause. "Do you really want to go there? It was a stupid mistake that will never happen again no matter how much you grovel or beg or harass me." She looked around warily and waved over to Elena who watched uneasily at the door, happy to oblige at removing her pain in the ass colleague.

Reno glared and pulled his jacket out of Elena's grasp, smoothing it down to try and maintain some dignity. "I wouldn't beg for a two bit whore like you."

The silence in the room was broken by the bone snapping crunch of Reno's nose being smashed into his face not by Elena or even Tifa but by _Cloud_ of all people. He had just returned home to step in the middle of this little melodrama and Tifa turned away in embarrassment he hopefully took at for Reno's words and not the truth.

The look in his eyes said differently.


	3. Chapter 3 Where they stood

_**Where they stood**_

"I'm sorry."

Tifa finally stopped talking, stopped explaining how she had destroyed their happy home. The silence that fell between them made her miss the sound of his voice, even if it was filled with anger and disgust. She was about to crack under the pressure and beg him to say something but he beat her to it.

"Reno?"

He held his mask on tighter than usual, closing his eyes so she couldn't read him.

"Reno?!" She didn't know what he wanted her to say. All she could do was sit and stare, unable to move.

"RENO!" His shout startled her as he stood above her, accusing her of what he already knew. Rage filled his voice when he said in the man's name. She knew how much he loathed Reno.

The way he towered over her made her feel small and weak, things she never liked feeling. "Yes, Reno,Cloud!" She jumped up to face him, finally getting mad at his superior stance and facing him eye to eye. "What else do you want me to say?"

"Why him!?!

"Because you don't love me the way you love her!" Tifa gasped and covered her mouth, not believing what she had just said. She immediately dropped her hands to her side, furious with herself, Reno, Cloud, and even _Aerith _at this point. She was pathetic after all, including the long dead Cetra in this twisted confusion.

"Don't bring her into this. This is between you and me and the fact that you fucked another guy!" His words hurt as if she had been hit with a physical blow. It was true; she'd had sex with Reno. But that was all it was. Whatever she had felt for him had been replaced with disgust for him and now she'd do anything to take it all back.

"I know, Cloud! And it's tearing me up inside."

Instead of keeping the rage she desperately wanted to hold onto, she felt herself sinking to her knees, too weak to hold herself and look him in the eye at the same time as tears fell around her. Looking up, she realized they weren't only hers as he sank down in front of her a few moments later.

"I'm so sorry." Tifa choked on the words as her sobs took over, unable to speak.

She could see him struggle with his pain at her betrayal and his need to comfort her, his body shifting uneasily until he took her into his arms. All she could do was melt into him, undeserving of the man who held her close and stroked her hair as she cried out all of the hate, fear, pain, guilt; she felt guilt more than anything as it consumed her and made her pull away, looking into his face. Cloud saw it there plainly on her face and his cerulean eyes shined with understanding and their own sheen of tears. He had been filled with guilt for so many years, it was hard to believe that he was free of it and Tifa was not.

"Loved," he whispered, taking hold of her hands in his. "I loved Aerith, Teef. Past tense."

A watery smile graced her lips before asking something she had to know. "Am I past tense, too?"

It took him so long to answer that she felt her heart breaking with each second that ticked by, watching it fall to the floor in a million pieces. She had no right to ask him to take her back but that's what she was doing. Tifa couldn't imagine her life without Cloud. There was no hope left when he at last gave her a sad smile, speaking softly.

"I love you, Tifa." She allowed herself to look at him again, trying unsuccessfully to smother the hope that sprung like a fountain within her.

"_Love_. Present tense."

Shock had her wide eyed and Cloud leaned closer, lifting her chin up and gracing her lips with the sweetest, softest, most tender kiss she had ever felt. There was nothing else to compare it to and she couldn't believe she had almost lost all of this because of one stupid continuous mistake. She could have never had anything like this with Reno. He didn't hold her heart as Cloud did now and forever, gently putting it back together.

"We'll make it better, Teef."

He held her face tenderly in his hands and all she could do was listen, helpless under his loving gaze.

"It's not all your fault…I wasn't there for you as much as I should have been."

She couldn't believe he was trying to take the blame. "That gave me no right-"

"No, it didn't. But I promise I'll try harder, Teef. I want to be the only man there for you."

That had her stunned into silence. Not only was he willing to take her back but he was taking part of the blame and going to make it better than it had been. Before she knew it, she was a blubbering mess again.

"I love you so much Cloud, I can't lose you. I was so stupid and…and…"

Instead of chastising her for being so idiotic, he simply took her back into his embrace, soothing her weary soul. "Shhhh, it'll be ok, Teef."

_It will all be okay. _

As it was meant to be.

The End.

* * *

A/N: As always, please R&R. It is greatly appreciated.


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